I really enjoyed episode 1. I mean it was very well done and compelling from start to finish. They did an exceptional job giving us the lay of the land right away. Immediately explaining what the TVA is, how it was started, what they do day to day. How powerful the mundane bureaucracy of it all is with infinity stone paperweights etc. But, they also at the same time establish that there are threats that they have to handle and that are challenging to them.
So there are actual stakes here. There is a reason why they could see variant Loki as a tool to help them. I found that all explained and shown extremely well. It made sense, it was well executed story wise.